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Chapter Four: Races in the New Kingdoms
= Races in the New Kingdoms = ' ' Many of the peoples in the New Kingdoms are newcomers to the land of Yalanthia. Humans were entirely unknown in the region until around 200 years ago, and many of the subraces came with them. After the fall of the Colonial period, more races are slowly drifting into the New Kingdoms, either for trade, or to seek asylum from war torn lands. Dwarves The dwarves of the New Kingdoms once had a proud empire in the region. The Mountain Dwarves ruled a vast subterranean region and the Hill Dwarves had many cities founded all along the eastern coast where they traded with the various nomadic tribes in the land. While their fortunes have turned, the dwarves remain a proud people, survivors in Yalanthia since time immemorial. ' ' Mountain Dwarves The Mountain Dwarves of the Dwarvenfasts are a brave people. Since the downfall of their empire, they have lived in a state of constant war. They value law and order above all else, for the smallest break in their system could spell catastrophe for the remaining Dwarvenfasts. Yet they tend to be friendly and open. Long years of warfare have taught them to value and treasure allies when any can be found. Too, the mining of the fasts requires others to trade with. Since the fall of the colonies and rise of the New Kingdoms, Mountain Dwarves have become a driving force of both diplomacy and trade. As the dwarves harbor precious resources, no one wishes to offend them, allowing them to negotiate peace between the nations. They have adapted strangely to this new role. For they are still dwarves, given to bluntness and stubborn resolve. Most would rather bash a problem in the head with an axe than sit at a table and talk. As such, they tend to be blunt in their dealings. A dwarven ambassador is likely to swear loudly during a negotiation and insult a two-faced politician. ' ' Hill Dwarves The story of the Hill Dwarves is a tragic one. Long after their Mountain kin fell, they continued on, building a vast above-ground civilization. The colonization of Yalanthia changed that. Their ancient homes were destroyed either in the initial invasion before Tarisil bartered for peace with dwarvenkind or during the war. Since that time they have been forced to assimilate into the other cultures of the New Kingdoms. This makes the Hill Dwarves the people most likely to be encountered throughout the New Kingdoms. They tend to live in small, insular communities within the larger cultures, keeping to their old traditions and ways as much as possible. They do not always trust their status in these new societies, as they find no stability in a country not yet five years old compared to their ways that extend back thousands of years. Still, they also tend to run shops and smithies, keeping the peoples of the New Kingdoms supplied with the best dwarven wares that money can buy. Not a few hill dwarves have joined with the Gastiwri, taking up life as itinerant artisans. ' ' Elves Calling themselves the Silni - the “Shining Ones” - elves have always dwelt within the land of Yalanthia. They have cared and tended for it, sometimes committing great sacrifices to protect the land. Or so it was. The coming of the Eirilnian high elves devastated the land as they plundered it for resources. The native elves were horrified to see their millennia of work undone. As a result, they have become a reclusive race, dwelling in the remains of the once great forests that spanned the eastern coast of the New Kingdoms. ' ' High Elves Eirilnians (or the Eirilni in their own tongue) are High Elves. For a few recent centuries they were the ruling class of the colonies. Since the revolution ended they have become despised in almost all places. In the few places that will tolerate them, they tend to form small communities within large cities, often within eyesight of their once grand palaces given over to other peoples. This change of circumstance generally has one of two effects. Some of the High Elves seek to atone for the misdeeds of their people, offering their centuries of learning and wisdom in the building of this new civilization. Others are resentful, either over the loss of their “rightful” place or over what they perceive as unfair bigotry - after all, not all the Eirilnians were of the ruling class and many opposed the cruel treatment of the Empire of the other races. Regardless, High Elves who choose the adventuring life must be prepared when traveling through the New Kingdoms. Not everywhere will be welcoming to their kind and they are likely to be met with hostility in many places. ' ' Nihomgithi The Nihomgithi (Home-nation) wood elves have been in Yalanthia since before it became its own continent. Traditionally they traveled in nomadic patterns, with a few treetop cities where they would while away a century or two enjoying the fruits of their tireless labors in tending the land. Recently, many have settled down in the newly formed kingdom of Gryoddonhom with their long separated brethren from Mythonod, too saddened by the ruin to their land to walk it. Many others still travel about the old ways, seeking to heal the damage that has been done. Some are resentful of the New Kingdoms. The humans and other peoples do not respect the old ways of travel and care, setting up cities on the ground, and continuing the razing of the forests. Others see the right of all to live how their peoples wish to live and will lend aid to these newly formed Kingdoms- it is too soon yet to see whether good or ill will come, but they are long lived and can wait. ' ' Cafyni The Cafyni (outcasts) wood elves are a pitiable people. They lived to see their forest lands in Eirilnia reduced to slivers of their former glory. Then they were exiled to Yalanthia as slaves and watched helplessly as these pristine lands were stripped. Most now live in Gryoddonhom, taking solace in that great wood. An adventurous few, usually those too young to remember the great forests of either land, can be found out and about the lands of the New Kingdoms. ' ' Halflings Of all the peoples of the New Kingdoms, halflings are probably the least contentious amongst themselves. Whether nomadic natives or contented homebody imports, they are usually happy to live and let live. But cross a halfling and one is in for a world of trouble. They were one of the major forces in the revolution that created the New Kingdoms out of the Eirilnian colonies. The Pyrina raged against the travel restrictions imposed upon their ways, while the Stout halflings were angered at the forced uprooting from their traditional homes in the East and forced implantation in the new lands. Since the war the Pyrina have returned to their old wandering ways, while the Stout halflings have made home where they can find it. The latter are most at home among men of all the races and when one finds a halfling neighborhood in a largely human city it is likely to be made up of the Stouts. Still, many have founded their own land in the New Kingdoms where they can be left in peace. ' ' Pyrina The Pyrina halflings are a happy, light-hearted people at the best of times. Still, their long lives as nomads have hardened them against the dangers of the world. If they are quick to trust they are slow to forgive if they feel their trust has been broken. They tend to live in tribal groups dedicated to a certain totem. Should two tribes meet along the way, they take such chance meetings as a happy circumstance and will often halt their travels to trade stories and feast on whatever foods they have gathered. For the most part they are independent of each other and prefer to remain this way. Still, they do have a certain unity. Once every few years a Great Moot of all the Pyrina tribes will be called where all can share news and information and policy decisions such as migration patterns can be discussed. The Great Moot also serves as a matchmaking service, as halflings from various tribes can meet and interact with members of whatever sex they prefer from other tribes, thus preventing inbreeding. This has led to a number of vast relations amongst the tribes and makes warring against each other that much harder - nearly everyone has a relative that has wedded into some other tribe, and often that other tribe will be home to someone’s aunt or cousin. Due to the independent nature of the tribes, society might be vastly different from one tribe to another. One tribe might be a matriarchy, a patriarchy, have democratically elected leaders, or have something very close to anarchy. The only two things one can count on a Pyrina tribe are their halfling memberships and their mobile nature. Pyrina halflings tend to be lightfoots. ' ' Stout Halflings Stout communities are known for being the most welcoming and homelike in all the New Kingdoms. While Stout halflings rarely travel, they love having guests, if only to show off the wonders and joys of their homes. Their hospitality and politeness has been known to even extend to the remaining Eirilni of the New Kingdoms for no one knows better than a Stout that one cannot always help whom one is related to. Because of their welcoming nature, the Stouts can sometimes have knowledge that would surprise outsiders who only know of their staid and steady nature. Stout halflings love gossip as much as they love eating and will spend hours listening to anyone with a story to tell about other lands. ' ' Humans Humans of the New Kingdoms are much the same as humans everywhere, with all the strengths and flaws that entails. Of all the races of the New Kingdoms, humans have possibly fared the worst during the colonies due to Tarisil’s paranoia about the race. Still, they have bounced back with a resilience, taking over the old elven strongholds and towns and building upon the foundations. In the New Kingdoms, humans come from a variety of ethnic groups. While a small majority of them are of a pale-skinned stock imported from Eirilnia, Tarisil often used the colonies as a dumping grounds for prisoners collected during various military campaigns. ' ' The Eirdamni An old title amongst humans that is rarely used anymore, the Eirdamni are descended from the half-elven king Fisasil. While these days there is typically not much that would distinguish the Eirdamni from other humans, every now and then the traces of the old elven ancestry will pop up - a tendency to age a little slower than other humans, a resistance to enchantment, and things of that nature. While appearing in all respects as other humans, Eirdamni are made from the half-elf traits. ' ' Dragonborn A rarity in the New Kingdoms, the few dragonborn one comes across are usually part of an ambassadorial delegation from Llokadon. A few others have ended up in the realm, usually as exiles from their homeland, though some are merely adventurous explorers, eager to see this new territory. ' ' Dragonborn of Llokadon Dragonborn bear the coloration of their draconic ancestry and can either have tails or not in the world of Rythia. Having a tail (or the lack of a tail) is mainly an accident of birth - though every member of the Golden Emperor’s family has one. Coloration, on the other hand is a very important. When dragonborn of a different scale color mate there is about a fifty percent chance of the offspring taking on the scale color of either parent, though sometimes different colors can appear as recessive traits. ' ' Dragonborn Origins Dragonborn claim their origin to be in the murky pre-history of the Dawning Times. According to their origin myth, they and the dragons were descended from the marriage of Bahamut and Tiamat. Tiamat either betrayed Bahamut or came under the sway of some other powerful deity or god-like creature, taking with her the chromatic dragons. According to their own origin story, they have always dwelt within the land of Llokadon, witnessing all the various devestations that have come to the rest of the world. Dragonborn Society Certainly this origin myth plays into current dragonborn society. While, supposedly, the dragonborn were ruled by a caste of platinum dragonborn in ages past, this particular coloration died out and now the ruling caste is that of gold dragonborn. In the hierarchy of dragonborn society, gold dragonborn tend to be members of the Golden Imperial family. Silver dragonborn will often be ruling lords and domos of an area, while bronze and copper are often found as mayors and other minor government officials. Their government is hardly oppressive, however. While it might appear to outsiders that Llokadon is a feudal system of lords and serfs, it is actually a highly bureaucratic meritocracy. Aside from inherited titles a dragonborn might rise or fall to any level of society as their talents and abilities might take them. A red dragonborn might wield far more power as a vizier in the Emperor’s court than perhaps even the Emperor himself. The dragonborn love honor and family. They hold their duty to their country first and their duty to their family second. For this reason, many dragonborn who manage to fall from grace in some way soon find themselves as having dishonored not only their station, but their families as well. A family will be proud to have a son or daughter working as a court functionary or a rich merchant, but the second the child is found taking bribes or embezzling they will be ostracized from their families and by extension all of dragonbron society. Tradition is a strong driving force of dragonborn society - more so than even their labyrinthine web of laws bureaucracy. ' ' Dragonborn Religion The dragonborn tend to be fairly areligious. Their main methods of engaging with the sacred are forms of ancestral worship and animism. Bahamut is nominally the main deity of Llokadon, but actual worship is largely ignored by all except priestly orders (which are mainly kept around because they have always been there). A town without a temple is unthinkable - but actually going into said temple on anything other than the rare special feast day is next to unheard of. Still, if one wishes to pay special homage to Bahamut in their daily lives, such a thing is considered honorable if a little strange. Not so the worship of Tiamat and other gods (even the good ones). Any dragonborn caught worshipping anything other than the state sanctioned deity of Bahamut will be exiled. Deals other than worship that involves anything unnatural (such as that made by warlocks) are looked at as little better, and while not exile-worthy, will cause such a practitioner to be viewed with extreme distrust and as having dishonored ones family. ' ' Gnomes Driven from their underground homes in the Annwngart by warfare between the more evil races, gnomes are fairly populous in the New Kingdoms. A small minority of gnomes make up a few tribes of the Pyrina, while others were exiled from Eirilnia. Gnomes have a much undeserved bad reputation amongst many of the races of Rythia. Always immigrants, never at home, they are viewed with suspicion and distrust in the more established lands- seen as thieves and cheats any offense by one gnome is considered representative of all. The New Kingdoms represent an opportunity for the gnomish peoples to build a new reputation. ' ' Forest Gnomes Those gnomes who tend to be Pyrina are forest gnomes. As such, they share much in common with the halfling Pyrina, save the open nature. Pyrina gnomes are secretive and reclusive, participate in the Great Moot rarely, and on the whole prefer delving into whatever mysteries the forests of the New Kingdoms yet hold. Unlike the halfling Pyrina, the forest gnomes enjoy associating with fey creatures in the woodlands. They also generally have good relations with the Nihomgithi. A few of the Forest Gnomes have joined in with their rock gnome relations amongst the Gastirwi, swelling their ranks. ' ' Rock Gnomes Rock gnomes in the New Kingdoms have become hard to typify. Many have taken to the new opportunities this land offers to return to the old ways, living in burrows. Others have kept to their Gastiwri tradition of wandering from town to town offering tinkering and scholarly services to those in need. Those who have settled down have mostly done so within the welcoming confines of Halflinshire. Just don’t mistake them for halflings. ' ' Half-Elves Half-elves in the New Kingdoms have life hard. Looked down upon by elves as being less than, distrusted by humans as being possible Eirilnian spies (not being able to tell high or wood elf parentage at a glance) or of a nefarious parentage, high-elves have a tendency to not find a place in either society. No matter how loving ones parents might be, it is hard to feel at home when the surrounding community looks down upon you. Even a life of travel is not safe for a half-elf. A city that is more tolerant might be a safe place to live and stay, while stopping for a short while in a local that is more prejudiced might lead to an evening of beatings or a night of incarceration on trumped-up charges. For half-elves, the only true safe haven is New Eirdamni. As the country often looks to an idealized past for their future, the citizens cannot overlook the half-elven foundations of the old Eirdamni royal line. Because of this half-elven fighters in the country are known as being some of the most fiercely loyal in all the kingdoms. ' ' Half-orcs Half-orcs compose a small minority in the population of the New Kingdoms. As full orcs are largely unknown in the eastern part of Yalanthia, those that are there are all exiles from Eirilnia where they were largely despised. The people of the New Kingdoms are mostly tolerant of this race and so half-orcs have in many ways become a true race and not a half race as they form their own communities and inter-marry. Freed from any possibility of orcish upbringing and any tangential prejudice against orcs, half-orcs generally adopt whatever culture surrounds them. A half-orc from Isilton might act distinctly Elvish, while one from Halflinshire might have a distinctly halfling bearing despite being so tall. ' ' Tieflings Tieflings are universally despised due to their demonic ancestry. This ancestry makes them no more predisposed to evil than any other race, but the resentment of others means that individual tieflings tend more toward evil alignments than any other race. More cosmopolitan locations might tolerate and accept them, but then again they might not. Those places that do will find growing enclaves of tiefling communities, filled with many who wish to cast off the dark associations their bloodline brings.